Four
by 1967blackchevyimpala
Summary: Adrien thinks he's got it made when he discovers his Lady's identity. However, things don't exactly go as planned.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Marinette may have lived in Paris, but the metaphorical bubble she lived in, solidified by school and her life at the bakery, meant she lived like a small town girl. Sometimes, she felt like she knew about .01% of Paris- although 100% of it knew her as Ladybug. There were her classmates, Alya, of course, Manon and her mother, and regulars at the bakery who would trickle in every once and a while to grab a macaroon, but beyond that, Marinette didn't know or particularly need to know anyone else. The number of people she knew was small, but the number of people important to her was even smaller. Besides her parents and Tikki, Marinette had four people who she truly cared about.

Alya was one. Marinette's best friend had a heart of gold and always put her first. She was someone who Marinette could always count on, no matter what.

Nino was another. Marinette had known him forever, since they were kids, and while she wasn't as close to him as she was to Alya, he was another person she could count on.

Chat Noir was next. Marinette couldn't tell anyone about her silly kitty, and she couldn't tell him anything, but she trusted him with her life. He was her partner: not quite a best friend like Alya was, but always dependable and forever by her side.

Adrien was the fourth. Every time Marinette looked into his striking green eyes her brain melted into mush and her tongue became putty. She was in love with him, no questions asked. It didn't help that he was quite literally the kindest person she had ever met. His reserved nature and respect for others made her swoon.

When three out of four of the most important people in her life were going to be at a sleepover, Marinette wasn't going to say no. It was for Nino's sixteenth birthday, and god, it was going to be the best night of Marinette's life. A sleepover. With Adrien! Every time that thought came to her mind (ohmygodAdrienAgreste) she squealed, (atasleepoverWITHME) swooned, (aweIbetwhenhewakesuphe'llBESOCUTEWITHHISBEDHEADANDBLEARYEYES) and nearly fainted (WE'LLBETOGETHERALLNIGHTANDHE'LLFALLINLOVEWITHMEANDI'MGONNAFINALL...

"Marinette!" Alya's voice broke Marinette's frazzled train of Adrien-ridden thoughts. She jumped. "Girl, you've gotta get yourself together! You got this. You can handle one night with Adrien, right?"

"O-of course!" Marinette squeaked, excitement clear on her face.

"C'mon, Marinette, you can't act like this all night. This is for Nino, remember!" Marinette nodded. She felt guilty and knew she was going for Nino, not for her silly crush on Adrien. Besides, if she ever wanted to have a chance with Adrien, she'd have to get over her stutter and clumsiness. She felt like such a cliche - the lovesick, clumsy girl who was secretly a badass, confident, superhero - but she really couldn't help it. Her act got better and better as she and Adrien got closer and closer, and thank goodness for that.

"Yeah, I know. I'll try my best to act normal."

"What present are you getting Nino?" Alya asked,

"I made him a new headphone case! It's not like he's ever gonna use it, those things never leave his neck, but he was complaining about needing one last week!"

"That's awesome, Marinette! I got him Ultimate Mecha Strike 4. Do you think he'll like it?"

"Alya, Nino's gonna like anything you give to him." Alya went red.

"Marinette!" Marinette smiled slyly. Alya reached in her pocket and peeked at her phone.

"It's 6:00, Marinette. We should head out." Marinette's small smile turned into an excited grin. She grabbed her duffel bag. On the way out, she grabbed a handful of cookies and stuffed them in her purse for Tikki, ignoring a questioning look from her inquisitive best friend.

"Hey dudes! What's up!" Nino greeted them with a wave and welcomed them in. Adrien was already sitting in front of the couch, criss-cross applesauce, on a blanket. He turned towards Alya and Marinette and gave a reserved but genuine smile.

"Hey Marinette! Alya!" Marinette smiled, resisting the urge to jump up and down with joy.

"Hey Adrien!" she responded.

"So, uh, why don't you sit down! There's some popcorn and stuff over there, and you can set your sleeping bags on the floor right there" Nino gave them an introduction while pointing at various spots on the floor. After they got settled in, Marinette and Alya plopped down across from Adrien and Nino on the blanket. Everyone exchanged gifts, and Nino opened them with glee.

"Marinette, this is awesome!" Nino held up the black-and-blue headphone case, smiling from ear to ear. "Did you make it yourself?"

Marinette smiled meekly and nodded.

"Wow, Marinette, that's so cool! You're really talented." The tips of Marinette's ears went red at her crush's compliment.

"Th-thanks Adrien! It wasn't that hard, you know, just a couple stitches here and there and a zipper and it turned out just fine!" Adrien smiled.

"Well, it's incredible." Marinette smiled at him, her crush forgotten, and for a brief moment, he was just Adrien. Nino gave Alya a big hug after opening her gift, and Marinette couldn't help but notice that Alya was in a really good mood for the next few minutes. After opening the presents, having cupcakes, and watching a short horror film, the quartet were ready to start playing some late-night games. It was a little past midnight.

"What should we play?" Alya asked.

"Mafia?" Marinette suggested, and Adrien was ready to agree, but Alya and Nino scrunched their noses and Alya shook her head.

"How about Musical Chairs?" said Adrien. Alya and Nino looked at him quizzically.

"What are we, five?" Alya asked. Adrien shrugged.

"Simon says?" suggested Nino. Marinette and Adrien both sat up a little straighter, the memory of a certain akumatized hypnotist coming to their mind.

"NO!" they yelled, simultaneously and a bit too adamantly. They looked at each other for a moment, then looked away, thinking nothing of it.

"Geez, okay" Nino said.

"How about two truths and a lie?" Alya asked. The three nodded in agreement. "Okay, it's settled. I'll go first." Marinette, Adrien, and Nino listened intently to Alya as she began.

"I have a birthmark on my left leg, I want to be a journalist, and I know what school Ladybug goes to." Marinette tensed and Adrien perked up.

"D-do you really know which school Ladybug goes to?" Adrien said, and to Marinette's confusion, he said it almost dreamily. Alya got frustrated with him.

"You're supposed to guess the lie, not ask it."

"You don't know what school Ladybug goes to" Marinette said immedietely, grateful she faintly remembered a conversation about how Alya has a small birthmark on her knee.

"That's right! That means it's your turn, Marinette." Marinette sighed in relief that she was right, Alya was as far from finding her identity as ever. She thought for a moment then spoke.

"My favorite fruit is raspberry, I've been to the top of the Eiffel Tower more times than I can count, and I take a nap every day." Alya guessed in a snap.

"You don't nap, girl. If you did, you wouldn't be so goddamn tired all the time." Marinette smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm not the best at this game."

"Hey Alya, how about you let my boy Adrien go next since you already had a turn?" Nino asked.

"Yeah, sure!" Alya said. All eyes turned to Adrien. He sat in silence for at least a minute.

"Dude? You good?" Nino asked. Adrien smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, sorry. I got it now."

"And?" Alya said impatiently.

"I play the piano, I have a dog, and I know Ladybug really well." Alya gasped. Marinette spoke up quickly. Adrien bit his lip, realizing his haste to answer might have put him in some serious Alya-brand danger.

"You don't know Ladybug, you two have barely met!" Marinette almost shouted. Adrien shook his head.

"Nope, that wasn't the lie."

"Adrien, you know Ladybug and you haven't even told me? I can't believe you! You could help so much with my blog!" Alya cried indignantly.

"You don't have a dog, man. Your old man would have a heart attack if there was a pet in the house." Adrien nodded, smiling.

"You got me. And Alya, I'm sorry, I just want to respect her privacy. I'll talk to you about her later, okay?" Alya nodded, a bit less ticked off. Marinette, however, was confused. Was Adrien counting the one time she had met him as Ladybug, back when Simon Says attacked? That hardly counted as knowing her well. And if he didn't mean that, what did he mean?


	2. Chapter 2

"It's your turn, Nino," Alya said, still miffed Adrien wouldn't tell her he knew Ladybug.

"All right, uh... My Uncle's famous, I'm managing the school radio station again next year, and I have a... I have a crush on Rose," Nino said. Alya stiffened a little bit, but Marinette and Adrien spoke in unison, "You don't have a crush on Rose."

Nino smiled nervously. "You got me," he said.

"What now?" Marinette asked, the curiosity from Adrien's answer not forgotten.

"Another game?" Nino suggested,

"How about Truth or Dare?" Marinette said, hoping she could get some answers out of it.

"That sounds awesome! Good idea, girl!" Alya replied, ecstatic at the suggestion.

"Can I go first?" Nino questioned. He got a nod in response.

"Okay... Marinette, truth or dare?" Marinette grinned. "Dare." Nino paused. "I dare you to lick a bar of soap."

Marinette grimaced but reached behind her. She ruffled through her duffel bag and pulled one out. As she licked it, the group burst into laughter at the disgust on her face.

"It's not funny" Marinette huffed, annoyed. Adrien put a friendly hand on her back, laughing a bit but not howling like the others.

"Sorry, Marinette, but the face you made was priceless! It was a little funny!"

Marinette went red.

"It's your turn, girl!" Alya said.

"Alright, Alya, truth or dare?"

"Dare!"

"I dare you to sleep alone in the other room with Nino when we go to bed" Marinette said, smirking internally. She knew Alya would never admit to her crush on Nino, but it was as painfully obvious as a sign that says "Road may be wet when it's raining". Now it was Alya's turn to redden.

"O-okay. Nino, you alright with that?" Alya said, flustered for once,

"Yeah! I-I mean yeah!" Nino seemed excited but he tried his best to hide it. It was a plan.

"O-okay. My turn," Alya said, "Adrien, truth or dare?"

"Truth" Adrien said.

"How long have you known Ladybug, exactly?" Alya smirked. Marinette listened intently.

"Uh... it's hard to say. A year, maybe?" Alya gasped. Marinette's brows furrowed in confusion. The Simon Says attack had been pretty recent, only a couple months beforehand.

"Adrien! I can't believe you!" Alya cried, a yawn muffling her anger. Nino chuckled at the yawn-yell, but cleared his throat when Alya shot him a glare.

"Yeah, it is pretty hard to believe" Marinette mumbled under her breath.

It had been a couple hours of gaming, and the friends were exhausted. Marinette and Adrien helped Nino and Alya lug their sleeping bags into the other room (they weren't gonna let that dare go unfulfilled) and Marinette was still contemplating what Adrien meant. She'd have to ask him where he knew her alter ego from. Well, she couldn't tell him it was her alter ego, of course. Oh, and it was just dawning on her that she was sleeping in a room with Adrien. Alone. With Adrien. Adrien Agreste. The model. It took all her willpower not to let out a very loud and mouse-like sound.

Marinette and Adrien sat on the sleeping bags across from each other. Marinette was staring at Adrien and he shifted uncomfortably.

"Marinette? Is there something you wanna..." Marinette snapped out of her stupor.

"Oh... yeah. I just, I uh..." Marinette said, "I was just wondering, how do you know Ladybug?"

Adrien visibly tensed. He responded "Oh, I've just. Seen her around."

Marinette raised her eyebrow. Why was Adrien avoiding her question, and now, her gaze?

"Around?" She asked,

"Around." He confirmed. There was another awkward pause.

"I uh..." Adrien continued, and Marinette perked up, "can I tell you a secret?"

Marinette nodded vigorously.

"I have a huge crush on Ladybug. I don't really know her all that well, but I like to think I do. Y'know? I know she's brave, and selfless, and loyal. And I know she's beautiful and perfect and... you get the idea" Adrien looked somewhere behind Marinette, a dreamy look in his eyes. Marinette didn't know whether her heart was soaring or being trampled by elephants. Adrien liked her. Adrien liked... her. But not her, not really. He liked the idealized, perfect Ladybug, not common Marinette. Marinette was nothing special. Adrien saw her face fall at the realization, and paused.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Adrien asked, concerned.

"Yeah! I'm totally okay because I 100% get what you're saying hahaha isn't that insane Adrien?" Marinette started to ramble. "And you know I know exactly how you feel because I like yo-Chat Noir that's right I like Chat Noir just the same way as you like Ladybug hahaha crazy right?" An indecipherable expression appeared on Adrien's face. Was it confidence? Slyness? Mischievousness? Marinette couldn't tell, and none of those options made sense.

"You like Chat Noir?" Adrien marvelled,

"Yeah! Totally! I mean, who wouldn't like a superhero! They're just idealized versions of people. I bet Chat Noir is totally different under the mask, but his confidence and heroics make him the perfect guy. I bet it's the same with Ladybug. I bet if you met her in real life you wouldn't even like her anymore." There was a certain coldness to her tone, and Adrien couldn't help but go on the defensive.

"Ladybug is perfect with or without the mask, because nothing could change her heart." Adrien said firmly, "And Chat Noir is probably the one different under the mask. His puns and flirting? Fake bravado. You probably wouldn't like him either if you met him without the mask." It was Marinette's turn to defend Chat.

"Well, sure, but the loyalty and kindness he has can't be faked! I bet Chat Noir is amazing, inside and out of the mask. He never leaves Ladybug's side and would follow her to the ends of the earth if it meant keeping her safe," she sighed. Marinette's yelling reminded Adrien of someone. Who was it? Alya? Then he looked into her eyes, and he realized: Marinette sounded exactly like Ladybug.

Adrien paused, entertaining the notion. Could Marinette be his lady?

"Do-do you really have a crush on Chat Noir?" He whispered,

"Yeah... sure!" Marinette responded hastily. What was the alternative? "No, Adrien, I don't like Chat. He's obviously a playboy and won't stop those godawful puns. I just said that to hide the fact that I'm totally, hopelessly in love with you, Adrien. Oh, and FYI, I'm Ladybug." Hell no.

Adrien paused at her response. He obviously was a victim of wishful thinking; Marinette couldn't be Ladybug! Ladybug would ever have a crush on Chat, and you'd think Adrien would notice if the love of his life was so close.

There was a crash outside and the sound of a scream.

Marinette looked up quickly, on alert. "What was that?" she asked,

"I don't know. I'll go check it out," responded Adrien.

"No, I'll do it" Marinette insisted, standing up,

"Fine, let's both go," said Adrien with a twinge of exasperation. What if he needed to transform quickly? What if it was an Akuma and Marinette was in danger? Little did he know that Marinette was thinking the same thing about him.

"Fine," Marinette responded. Again, Adrien was reminded of his lady. What was this new side of Marinette? Whatever it was, he liked it.

The duo went outside and leaned over the balcony. Marinette pointed at a black figure who was quickly departing.

"See, it's just Chat Noir on patrol. No big deal," she said. Odd, she thought Chat had agreed not to patrol that night, since both of them had civilian duties. Adrien knew even better that something was up.

"That's not Chat Noir," he said firmly.

"How do you know?" Marinette asked,

"I just do. Hold on, I gotta go to the bathroom," Adrien said. Marinette furrowed her brow as he ran to the bathroom and slammed the door shut and locked. She knocked on it.

"Adrien? What the hell?"

"I'm uh... taking a shower!" a nervous Adrien replied. Marinette raised an eyebrow.

"A shower?" she questioned, "Right now?"

Adrien chuckled nervously as he spoke. "Yeah! I always shower when I'm stressed. Don't worry about me, I'll be a minute." He turned on the shower head, transformed, and climbed out the window. Wanting to check on Marinette to make sure she stayed there safe while he went off, he peered into her window.

He didn't expect to see a red flash, followed by the unmistakable transformation of his Lady.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Ladybug paused and listened to make sure the shower was still running, then cautiously opened the window. She flung her yo-yo and flew to the next building in the direction of the (presumed) akuma, but stopped when she bumped right into...

"Chat Noir! Did you see what that thing was?" Ladybug was flustered from her run-in. He was so close; what if he'd seen her transform! However, she didn't notice how flustered Chat was too. He chuckled nervously.

"No, I uh, saw it go but didn't know what it was." Ladybug swung her yo-yo, prepared to leave. "Okay, well, let's go get this thing done!"

Chat didn't move. He sighed. "I need to talk to you." Ladybug gave him an indignant look. He looked serious, which worried and surprised her, but it wasn't exactly the best time.

"Now?! There's an akuma on the loose! You can wait, kitty." Before he could argue, she flew off. He followed.

Knowing Ladybug's identity was surreal. Now, when Chat heard Ladybug speaking, he heard Marinette. How did he not notice before? It was glaringly obvious, hell, she even wore her hair the same. The only real difference was how they acted towards him. Adrien was fairly sure Marinette was uncomfortable with him, probably because of the gum incident, but she was still his friend, and she liked Chat. Chat wasn't sure if his heart was soaring or being trampled by elephants. She liked him! But not him, really. She liked the confident, punny Chat Noir, but Adrien was just a friend. Then again, he had somewhat done the same thing to her- he liked Marinette, sure, but it was Ladybug who had set his heart aflutter. He sighed.

"CHAT! OVER THERE!" Ladybug yelled. An akuma, suited in dark brown with a green apron, was shooting streams of hot liquid at the heros on the dark, empty street. It was coffee.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir, nice of you to show up! I was starting to think you were trying to get a night off."

Chat gave his signature grin, focusing his emotions into his puns rather than confusing thoughts about Ladybug. "We don't have nights off, fighting akumas is the daily grind for us."

Ladybug groaned. "Are you gonna make coffee puns this whole time?"

"I'm sorry, My Lady, but puns are how I espresso myself! I can't help it." Ladybug rolled her (gorgeous, expressive, blue) eyes and jumped out of the way as a stream of hot coffee headed towards her. "Looks like things are getting pretty steamy, huh, LB?"

They turned back to fight and the coffee villain was gone.

"Where'd she go?" Ladybug asked. Chat shrugged and they flew off, running across the rooftops. Chat was focusing on what would be the right way to tell Ladybug he knew who she was. Ladybug's voice crashed his train of thought.

"Chat! In there!" she hissed, pointing at the thick window of a tiny studio apartment. The akuma was sitting there... painting?

Chat knew what to do. "Cataclysm!" He summoned his destructive power and slammed his hand against the window, which aged and crumpled beneath his touch.

Coffee Creamer rolled her eyes and stood up. "All I ever wanted to do was be an artist! I didn't want that dumb barista job, being fired was an insult! Leave me be!" However, her efforts were stopped by Hawkmoth, who caused her to pause and listen. She suddenly made a thick stream of coffee beans shoot from her hand, and they formed a tight and slowly rising layer on the floor, trapping Ladybug and Chat.  
"Looks like we're in a latte trouble now, my Lady."

"Lucky charm!" A bottle of red paint with black spots on the packaging appeared in her hand. She looked at in confusion. Chat kept trying to claw his way out of the rising beans, which were now up to their waists. His ring beeped.

Ladybug looked around and had an idea. She squeezed the bottle and flung the paint around the room, destroying the akuma's paintings.

"NOOO!" cried the villain, who grabbed a towel and flew over to a painting. She desperately tried to get rid of the paint.

"You fool!"

"Chat, your baton!" Chat stuck his baton in the beans and extended it, grabbing Ladybug and pulling them both out. "The akuma's in her apron!" Chat jumped over to Coffee Creamer and grabbed the apron, throwing it to his Lady.

Ladybug ripped the apron and purified the akuma. "Miraculous Ladybug!" she cried, throwing the empty paint bottle into the air, and everything went back to normal.  
Chat's ring beeped again.

"Well, my Lady, it's bean great, but I should be going. See you sooner than you think!" He winked and gave a salute before pouncing away.

Marinette had no idea how she could get back into Nino's house without Adrien seeing her, nor did she have any idea how she would explain her disappearance. She changed back on the balcony of Nino's living room, hiding behind the wall, barely out of view of the glass door, and carefully opened it. She wasn't aware she was holding her breath, but she let it out when she saw Adrien was nowhere to be found, and heard the shower running.

Damn, how long did it take that boy to shower?

She sat back down on her sleeping bag and yawned, checking her phone for the time. It was 3 AM.

"Tikki?" Marinette whispered, "I can't believe that akuma! I could've been spending that time with Adrien! For all I knew it could've taken that much time for him to fall in love with me!" Tikki flew out of Marinette's nearby bag.

"Well, he would've been showering anyway, right? Besides, Adrien has been talking to you a lot already! One step at a time, Marinette!" Tikki said reassuringly, smiling. Marinette paused when she heard the sound of the shower turning off.

"Hide, Tikki!" she hissed, and Tikki flew back into the purse. Marinette rifled through her duffel bag and pulled out a couple cookies, stuffing them into the purse with her. She frantically climbed into the sleeping bag and pulled out her phone so Adrien would think she'd been there the whole time, and tried to look inconspicuous when Adrien came out.

Adrien couldn't help but smile when he saw her. He had wet his hair so Marinette would think he was in the shower that whole time, and now it was limp and long down his face. He sat down on his sleeping bag and rubbed his hair with a towel. Marinette was trying to look like she'd been there the whole time, but even if Adrien didn't know her secret, he would've been able to tell she was flustered. She wore her emotions on her sleeve.

Marinette looked up, feigning surprise. "Oh, Adrien! I thought you were gonna be in that shower all night!" Adrien smiled and set aside the towel. His hair was tousled and messy, more Chat Noir than usual. Maybe it'd help Marinette notice?

"Marinette? Why didn't you sleep?" Adrien asked, feigning innocence. He struggled not to laugh out loud when she scrambled to find an answer.

"Oh! Uh! OH! I uh... I was scared of the akuma so I couldn't sleep andIwantedyoutobetheretoprotectme?" Adrien barely understood what Marinette had said, but got the gist of it and smiled, raising a surprised eyebrow.

"The akuma scared you, huh?" Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow. She nodded vigorously. "You don't need to be scared, Chat Noir and Ladybug are out there protecting us." Adrien gave a Chat-like smirk and winked. Marinette wasn't catching on.

"Welll, of course! They protect all of Paris, Adrien." Adrien almost groaned in frustration.

"I think Chat cares about you specifically, princess." He channeled his inner Chat, but he still sounded unconvincing. It might've been because his voice trembled when he called her princess.

Marinette's heart fluttered. Screw the thing about Chat, Adrien had just called her princess! A bright pink blush blossomed on her cheeks.

"Why would he- why would he care about me specifically?" Adrien didn't know how much more transparent he could be. He was discouraged. Was Marinette really that thrown off by the differences between him and Chat? Could she really not see what he was trying to tell her?

"Because you're kind, beautiful, and smart." he said, a fondness in his voice. The light pink blush morphed into a beet red.

"R-Really?" A smile emerged and lingered on her face.

"Yeah, Marinette." Marinette's smile suddenly disappeared. A voice of reason somewhere deep in her emerged, and she realized how weird Adrien was being.

"Why are you saying this?" she said, almost accusingly. She had an idea of what happened.

"I- because it's true!" Adrien struggled out, chastising himself internally for sounding so unconvincing. It was true; but not telling the whole truth was a struggle for Adrien, especially when it involved his lady.

"What did you see, Adrien?" Anger was starting to flare in her voice, just barely, but it shook Adrien. He hadn't meant to make her mad! He just wanted to show her who he was, so she could draw the conclusion on her own. It was backfiring, big time, and his face fell. He looked down shamefully.

"I saw you transform, Marinette. I know you're Ladybug." Marinette held back tears. What was she thinking! Adrien would never like her without the mask. Her expression, which had been a loving smile mere minutes before, scowled in frustration and anger.

"What the hell, Adrien? Why wouldn't you just tell me that as soon as you saw me?" Adrien felt a pit in his stomach, slowly growing. "I'm sorry I'm not the Ladybug you wanted, but you don't have to tease me like that!" His sadness gave way a bit to confusion.

"Tease you?"

"Yes! Flirting like that was cruel, Adrien! You didn't mean any of it. Besides, it wasn't even meant for me! You never would've said it if you didn't realize I was Ladybug!" Marinette tried her best not to yell and wake the others, but she couldn't help but raise her voice a little bit.

"B-but Marinette! I-"

"Just stop, Adrien." Marinette stood up and dragged her sleeping bag as far away from him as she could. She crawled inside and hid inside it, turning away from him as much as possible.

Adrien closed his eyes in defeat, words in his defense trapped on his tongue. How could he tell her he really meant all that, for her as Marinette and as Ladybug? Even though he had saved his heart for Ladybug, all of that was true of his opinion of Marinette! He didn't dare tell her his identity, she'd probably just get worse. Adrien couldn't believe his rotten luck. He couldn't have picked a worse time and place to talk to her about it. It couldn't have been worse because now, he could hear her cry.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Text

Marinette just wanted to go home.

Ladybug outshone her in every way. She'd never be able to live up to, well, herself. She was brave in that mask, unafraid of the consequences of her actions, confident of her place in society as Paris's hero. As Marinette, she was clumsy, stuttered too much, and could barely control her own emotions.

This was a nightmare. It wasn't like some random person found out, this was Adrien! And sure, he was flirting with her, but it wasn't really _her._ Just like the rest of Paris, Adrien loved Ladybug but barely even glanced at Marinette. Even Alya, who loved Marinette more than anything, would probably rather have been best friends with Ladybug than Marinette.

It wasn't _fair._

She climbed out of her sleeping bag, sniffling, and started to pack up her stuff. She'd been crying for a good hour, and she didn't want to embarrass herself even more. Adrien glanced at her sharply, his eyes red and puffy. Marinette didn't notice, but he'd been crying too. She went out onto Nino's balcony with her stuff, and whispered to Tikki, "Spots on". Ladybug swung away from Marinette's troubles.

As soon as Marinette got home, she detransformed and broke down, sobbing, on her bed. Tikki tried to comfort her.

"Marinette, don't cry! Adrien didn't mean to hurt your feelings, he was just... I don't know. That was very unlike him. But he definitely didn't want to hurt your feelings! Adrien isn't like that." Marinette sniffled and looked up.

"It's not just that, Tikki. Sometimes I feel like Marinette can never live up to Ladybug. She's so much braver. If I were Ladybug all the time, my life would be so much better. People would care about me, not out of pity, but because they respect me."

Tikki sighed. "But Marinette, you ARE Ladybug! She is you! Lots of people love and respect you. Your parents and Alya, even Nino. I do too, Marinette, and not just because you're my miraculous holder. You're kind, you stand up for people, you're a good leader, and you try to do what's right. You have all the same qualities Ladybug does, because you are her! People love Ladybug for the same reason they love Marinette." Marinette sniffled.

"But that's the thing, Tikki. They love Ladybug more because she has the best in me without the worst." Tikki sighed again, realizing she wasn't getting anywhere.

"Get some sleep, Marinette." Once Marinette nodded and laid down, Tikki tucked her in and planted a small kiss on her forehead. Soon, Marinette fell into a deep, crying-fit induced slumber.

Alya and Nino left his room the next morning, Alya giggling and Nino grinning about something he said. They paused when they saw Adrien. Adrien sat on the couch, and frankly, he was a mess. His hair was matted with tangles from tossing and turning, his face was red and eyes puffed up from a fitful lack of sleep, and his expression was somber.

Nino rushed over. "Hey dude, what's wrong? Where's Marinette?"

"She left." Adrien's voice was carefully calculated as to not show any emotion, the same way it often was when he spoke to his father.

"Did something happen?" Alya asked worriedly, afraid something about Marinette's crush might've caused a catastrophe.

"Nah, she just had a nightmare and went home." Nino and Alya were unconvinced.

"Okay... How about breakfast?" Nino suggested, trying to break the tension.

"I'm okay, Gorilla's on his way to pick me up."

Alya and Nino gave each other worried looks.

"Alright" Alya said, unable to mask her concern. A knock sounded, and Adrien stood up.

"Thanks for having me, Nino. Happy birthday!" He gave Nino a weak smile and a hug, which Nino tightened.

"Thanks for coming, man. It wouldn't have been the same without you."

Adrien picked up his bag and headed out with a wave, leaving behind two very worried best friends.

Once he was home in his room, he opened up his jacket, letting Plagg out.

"You messed up, kid," he said, with what was almost a hint of sympathy.

"God, Plagg, I never meant to hurt Marinette like that. I... I love her."

Plagg snorted. "All of Paris knows that. But think about how Marinette feels hearing that. Are you sure you don't love her just because she's Ladybug?"

"Yes." Adrien said with absolute certainty, and he meant it.

"Then why did you never talk about Marinette before? Think about it from her point of view." Adrien paused and bit his lip. He knew he probably would've had a crush on Marinette if it weren't for his huge crush on Ladybug, and maybe if he got to know her even better. Every time he talked to her, they got closer, and he liked what he learned. She was sweet, kind, and dared to stand up for herself and others, all things Adrien wished he could do.

It didn't really matter, either way. Marinette nor Ladybug liked him. His love was one-sided, and now both of her sides hated him.

Adrien groaned in frustration. "How am I supposed to fix this, Plagg?"

"I don't know, love is complicated. I should know, I'm in love with Camembert. It's a real struggle when she isn't around," he hinted. Adrien rolled his eyes and grabbed Plagg some cheese from the minifridge on his floor.

"See? A match made in heaven!" Plagg downed the cheese in one gulp and licked his lips. Adrien sat back down on his gigantic desk chair, and rested his chin in his hand. Then he remembered- Marinette had said she had a crush on Chat Noir.


End file.
